McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Subway: Will the Fast Food Customer Forever Be Changed?

A big decline in commuters has eroded breakfast traffic and long lines are evidence of the shift to almost exclusively drivethru usage As we39ve seen in the headlines QSR businesses are having to adapt at warp speed to our new COVID normal to keep foot traffic up and cash registers ringing McDonald39s stopped serving breakfast all day and removed salads and wraps from their menus to streamline service efficiency ChickfilA introduced quotSafe Servicequot new safety measures not only to protect guests and restaurant teams but also to uphold the restaurant experience guests have come to know and expect from ChickfilAHaving worked with QSR clients for years I am naturally intrigued and curious about the category and the challenges it39s currently facing I found myself geeking out a bit swirling in the amounts of change Volatility in the consumer I39ve never quite seen in my years of experience has been piquing my interest even more While there are stories to be told against many demographic and psychographic trends age alone proves to be a story worth telling potentially provoking some big shifts in strategy messaging and choice of mediaWhile there are many players in the category for this analysis I focused on brand health and usage among three of the top brands in the US using YouGov BrandIndexThe data demonstrates that COVID doesn39t appear to have taken a toll on brand awareness and consideration for these brands They have maintained high awareness and even largely maintained consideration which demonstrates strong brand health even after nine months of radically changed conditionsHowever current customers took a dive in the spring It39s been steadily recovering but we see that McDonald39s and ChickfilA are down 9 and Subway customers are still down 19 from prepandemic levels This makes the QSR marketer39s job clear How do I win the next mealWhile this is interesting it39s not game changing I39m more curious about the QSR customer Has the consumer profile changed during COVID times We know our lifestyles and eating habits have changed as a result of COVID Fast food restaurants have responded optimizing their offering for what39s now a majority drivethru business Is there in fact a new QSR customer as a result of these two phenomenaWhen we filter by age it turns out the overall picture for brands obscures the fact that there has been a shift in who their customer is Adults 1834 are outpacing adults 3549 as ChickfilA customers and are at prepandemic levels for McDonald39s Just as important or perhaps more importantly customers 50 are down for all three brandsWe are witnessing a category level change in consumer behavior by age Time will tell if younger people switch back to their prior behaviors once commuting indoor dining and office lunches fully return But will the 50 crowd have a reason to return to their prior levels of fast food usage postCOVIDThere are potentially major implications coming out of this data Media investments and plans are built around customer understanding demographics psychographics media usage and consumption etc If your audience has changed and you39re unaware or you haven39t shifted your advertising investment for that new customer your investment is having to work harder to make an impact brand health and commerceA younger consumer will have a different media profile with new placements to consider new celebrities to tap into and even new flavors to consider for menu items If your investment historically focused on older men you could be losing significant market share by not messaging to a new and younger customer with your investment Missing the right audience with the right investment in the right place means dollars lost in the end In a market where leading QSR are losing 9 to 19 of customers missing the mark on audience compounds those losesWatching consumer behavior rapidly change and brands make quick pivots reminds me again of the importance of not only having the right data but making sure it is recent and continuously trended Brands know their own sales and traffic volume but they need a knowledge partner to help them understand who is driving foot traffic and how that is changing on a continuous basisIt39s a challenging time for marketers but uptodate data is available and helps a lot I have a feeling this isn39t the end of our QSR storyline Lots of interesting data on consumer behaviors to share Contact me if you39re interested in seeing this data and more broken out for your specific target audiences brands etc I39m here to strategize and helpClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Subway: Will the Fast Food Customer Forever Be Changed?

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Tamara Alesi

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McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Subway: Will the Fast Food Customer Forever Be Changed?

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